With These Hands
by Absmum
Summary: Two professions in one small workplace.  Two professionals and one giant spark…
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

**Hers**

Car, Parking Lot. Monday.

"Ok, I can do this. I'm fully clothed, I look professional and I have a mountain of qualifications and experience tucked under my arm. What could possibly go wrong?" Well, they could think I'm a complete fruit loop that doesn't know what she's talking about. Yeah right. Note the crazy woman talking to herself in her car. _Totally_ normal.

After a quick face and hair check in the rear-view mirror, I took a deep breath and exited my car, smoothed the wrinkles out of my skirt and headed towards the building entrance. "Be professional" I murmured to myself. Once inside I approached the reception desk where I woman about my age sat, or practically bounced, in her chair. I wonder what she put in her coffee this morning? Hmmm, I like her hair…

"Good morning" the receptionist cheerfully sang.

"Hello, I have an appointment with the practice manager at nine" I couldn't help but smile back at the happy woman. Clearly she was contagious.

"Ah yes, you must be Bella. Please have a seat, she won't be long". She gestured towards the waiting area which was sparsely furnished with plastic chairs and vinyl flooring. To be expected in a vet clinic I guess, after all, the patients were all animals. Looking around, I couldn't help but feel a calm wash over me. Perhaps the colour scheme or the mood music had something to do with it. I would have thought with all that the receptionist would be a bit less… _bouncy_. Certainly this place was _very_ different from my last working environment.

I sucked in the relaxed vibe, but probably a bit too hard as suddenly there was a woman standing in front of me. I'm almost positive she didn't materialise there…

"Bella hi, I'm Esme" the practice manager extended her hand and gave me a warm smile "Please come through". As I followed her down the corridor, I noticed that it didn't really look like a clinic anymore, more like an office? Nah, that wasn't it. A day spa perhaps? Hmmm, maybe I should ask for a pedicure…

My last workplace was far from this, it was a slightly run down aged-care wing of a hospital. You never forget the smell, disinfectant and decay and denture cleaner. I felt a twinge of sadness but also relief that I no longer had to face that every day. Esme's voice pulled me back from those less than pleasant memories.

"Please make yourself comfortable" she gestured towards the long, charcoal grey sofa along the wall. This really didn't look like an office, well it did a bit, just not anything like I'd seen before. Too comfortable, maybe? How does anyone get any work done here? I'd want to put my feet up and relax with a good book…

While Esme was getting comfortable on the matching chair opposite the sofa, I took a brief glance around the room. There was a large window behind the desk with dark timber blinds overlooking a secluded garden area. I could just make out a bench seat and some potted frangipani. Hmmm, I love frangipani… Against the wall beside the door a bookshelf stood loaded with reference books and picture frames. I couldn't make out the subject of those pictures from where I was sitting. Against the other wall was a side table with an oil diffuser on it, it smelled divine.

"So Bella, you do have some impressive qualifications" she said while flicking through my folio. "and I see you've spent the last 4 years working in palliative care. Tell me about that." She folded her hands and leaned back in her chair.

"Well, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't difficult. I loved talking with the patients, hearing about their families and their lives before illness, but of course I found it tough going when they were nearing the end. Each treatment, watching them move closer and closer to death, I found I became more emotional particularly when family members were present" I was wringing my hands together at this point, it was tough to talk about losing my patients. "But at the same time I gained a new appreciation for life and how precious it is. Knowing I was giving them a treatment that didn't involve injections or pills or pain, that it was a positive amongst all the negative, made it completely worthwhile."

Esme seemed mesmerized by my words. She slowly nodded her head.

"I wish I'd had access to massage therapy for my mother when she was dying, I think it's such a wonderful thing you can do for someone at such a scary time for them." I could see the conversation had touched a nerve and had brought back some not-so-happy memories for her but she shook it off and went on. "So I'll tell you a little about our program here. It's only in the trial phase so employment would be probationary for 3 months but we're fairly positive about making this work.

"We're phasing in complementary therapies as part of patient care here. That means working with the animals when they're first assessed, through their treatment and recovery. At the moment we're looking at hiring an acupuncturist and a massage therapist, such as yourself. You'd be working very closely with the vet and some of the vet nurses, and doing follow ups with the patients and their owners. How is it sounding so far?"

"It sounds like a great opportunity. I have to ask though, how do the clinical staff feel about the complementary therapies? In my experience, we've been seen as mostly unnecessary." It was true, a lot of doctors looked down on massage and the therapists as a waste of patient time and an inconvenience. Pffft.

"Well… they were a bit apprehensive at first but I think they're really warming to the idea. Let me introduce you to Edward, you'd be working fairly closely with him." She stepped out of her office and I took the moment to quickly reassess my appearance. I could see my reflection in a mirrored picture frame on Esme's desk, so I checked my make up was still okay, hair still in place and nothing gross stuck in my teeth (a totally unnecessary exercise as I only checked it 10 minutes ago in the car). Alrighty then, still looking professional.

A few moments suddenly felt like an hour, hmmm… I'm _so_ not good with interviews. My anxiety level just cranked itself up a few notches. I thought about looking for her but I hadn't had the tour yet so I'd probably just end up in the supply closet or the toilet. But, just when I thought she wasn't coming back, the door opened and Esme walked back in.

And then, it was like everything happened in slow motion, like in those cheesy movies. _He_ walked through the door.

Uh oh. This is not good, this is not good, this is not good…

How is it possible that any man could be made this perfect? Was this the vet? No, surely not. I must be dreaming. Yes. Esme just took too long to return and I fell asleep waiting, after all this is a really comfy sofa. Yep, that was it. He's speaking to me. Uh oh, I'm not dreaming. _Crap_.

PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER BELLA, I mentally shouted at myself.

"Hi, I'm Edward. I'm the vet" he said blandly and looking somewhat pre-occupied. He extended his hand to shake mine, I stood quickly and extended my own hand, and hoped like hell that it wasn't sweaty.

"I'm Bella, it's good to meet you" I managed to get out. He didn't return my smile or even look me in the eye. Yep, that's what I thought. Another medical professional that thinks complementary therapists are off with the fairies.

His hand wrapped around mine in a warm and firm handshake. And that's when it happened. His eyes suddenly shot up to meet mine. _Woah!_ Did he feel that too? What _was_ that? Static electricity? Nah, that can't be it. It felt almost like a tingling that started in my hand and gradually made its way up my arm, warming as it went. So I guess it couldn't have been static. With my profession you become quite intuitive with touch, so maybe that was it. I started to wonder if all of him was warm and firm. Urgh, that is _not_ professional Bella.

I think at that moment my heart was in my mouth, my stomach had hit the floor and my eyeballs were hanging halfway out. My jaw must have been hanging somewhere near my cleavage too. I hoped like hell that I wasn't drooling either.

"Great!" Esme snapped me back to my anatomically-correct self, although I'm sure I didn't actually look like I imagined. _God, I hope not! _I cringed. I looked back at Edward and was pulled straight back into those green eyes. "So, I'm sure you'll both get along famously" she said.

"Uh, yeah, I'm sure we will" I mumbled out. It was only then that I realised I still had my hand in his. Edward must have thought the same thing as he blinked a few times and turned to Esme while letting my hand drop.

"Uh, I need to get back to work. Uh, there's a… dog…" and just like that he was gone.

Esme looked down at my hand which was still slightly extended. She glanced quickly at me and then back towards the door. An odd expression crossed her face, confusion maybe? But then she was smiling again and gestured towards the sofa once more. She grabbed a folder from her desk and passed it to me.

"So, here are the job description and salary details. Take them with you and have a read. I would like to offer you the position; you're well qualified and have some great references. I think you'd be a great asset to our practice. But I'm sure you'll have a few questions once you've read these, so I'll call you tomorrow and we can chat further." Esme's smile was warm and kind and I immediately felt that this was exactly where I wanted to be. It was certainly a job I wanted to do, helping animals with a calm and reassuring touch, and both Esme and Mrs Reception seemed very cheerful, so it had to be a pretty good workplace. It just felt right.

"Thanks for the opportunity Esme" I smiled and shook her hand once more. I made my way back down the corridor but when I had reached the front desk again I noticed Mrs Reception staring back at me. Most of her face was taken up by a Cheshire smile. _Strange…_

As I walked back to my car I felt confident I was ready to face the challenge of working with animals. I stopped in my tracks. My thoughts had suddenly shifted back to those eyes and my hand tingled again in response. Uh oh… Could I really do this? Was I ready for the challenge of working with the vet?

Words I would not normally say started ringing loudly in my head. Oh, SH… F…

_Crap._

**His**

Chair, My Office. Monday.

I was thoroughly absorbed in some canine x-rays from last night's after-hours clinic when I felt a presence behind me. I glanced back and saw Esme's expectant gaze. When did she get in here? _How_ does she do that?

"Hi Esme, what's up?" I asked, looking back at the images.

"I've got a candidate in my office I'd like you to meet" she said. I opened my mouth to protest again about the silly idea of hers to introduce complementary therapies in to the practice, but she shut me down pretty fast. "I know what you're going to say, but this is a good idea Edward. It works for humans, why not for our 4 legged friends?" I didn't get an opportunity to respond once again, "It's only for a 3 month trial, so put your attitude back in its box and come and meet her." I turned around fully this time and leaned back in my chair.

"Come on Edward, please?" I could feel myself being sucked in. _Must… resist… motherly… charms…_ "She's got great qualifications, she's experienced and…"

"And what, Esme?" Uh oh, here it comes.

"She's really pretty. And she's here for the massage therapist position so she'd have great hands…"

"Esme!" I was shocked at where she was going with this. She was pretty much a mother figure to all of us here, she kept us in line but also offered guidance and comfort on those difficult days. It was weird and uncomfortable hearing her discuss _adult themes_…

"I'm just saying," she said and put her hands up pleading innocence. Yeah, right. "This will be a good thing. Really" I just wasn't convinced. Esme had come to me a few months ago with the idea of using massage and acupuncture in our practice to reduce stress and help aid recovery for the animals. Being a man of medicine I didn't see the merit, but she can be very persuasive at times. I don't believe I ever agreed to the program, although Esme says otherwise, I may have grunted a few times during the discussion. And that was a green light as far as she was concerned.

"Okay, okay, okay. I'll meet the candidate. But I'm not in favour of this program. You know that." I may as well have been speaking to the x-ray as she had already turned on her heel and was halfway out the door. I need to put a collar with a bell on that woman so we can all hear her approaching.

It was merely a formality, meeting this candidate. I had hoped Esme would come to her senses and see that this was just a silly idea, this is a professional practice and besides, these complementary therapists are all off with the fairies aren't they? By the time I had reached Esme's office I was becoming more and more frustrated about the whole situation, so much so that I barely even noticed the candidate. Oh well I thought, best to keep Esme happy for the moment. We can talk about this again later.

"Hi, I'm Edward. I'm the vet" I said as blandly as I could while extending my hand to the candidate. I didn't even bother making eye contact. This was just a time and place in which I did not want to be. She suddenly bolted upright from the sofa.

"I'm Bella, it's good to meet you" she said and her hand was in mine.

And then it happened.

Blazing heat shot through my hand and up my arm, like I'd been struck by lightning. I looked up and met her stare and then I was lost. Did she feel that too? What the hell? Such warm brown eyes, intense and intoxicating but calming and kind. I don't know how many seconds had passed, or was it minutes. _Uh oh… I need to get out of here._

"Great!" Ugh, Esme and her enthusiasm once again. But thankfully this time it was a welcome intrusion. "So, I'm sure you'll both get along famously."

"Uh, yeah, I'm sure we will" the candidate said quietly, but it was enough to bring me back to reality a notch and realise I was still holding her hand. I blinked a few times and attempted to internally knock some sense back in to this brain that had somehow just turned to mush.

"Uh, I need to get back to work. Uh, there's a… dog…" and I was gone. Yeah, nice one Edward, well played. As I stormed down the corridor I reminded myself again why I prefer relationships with animals instead of people. With animals come unconditional love, affection and loyalty. When it comes to people, there are _always_ conditions. Wait, what? And why did that just pop into my head? Oh yeah, brain - mush.

Back in my office I busied myself with the electronic patient file and x-ray I'd been viewing earlier. A few minutes later Esme was at my back again.

"Can we fit you with a noisy collar? Or at least some heels that alert us to your approach?"

"It's all part of my job, Edward. I need to be sneaky sometimes" she smiled. "So, what did you think? You weren't very welcoming. You barely spoke two words in there. I expected at least an attempt at some communication" she was still smiling. What is she up to? And what isn't she telling me?

"Is this really about the program or are you just trying to set me up?"

She smiled at me apologetically.

"I'm sorry, it is about the program. Bella is just a bonus. I wanted to let you know that I've offered her the massage therapist job. She's going to think about it and let me know tomorrow. I think she would do really well here and I believe she may just soften that gnarly exterior of yours". She touched me gently on the arm and wandered back out.

I turned back to the x-ray but it wasn't for long. The next thing I knew Alice was bounding in to the room. _Argh!_ Can't a man have any peace when he's trying to work?

"Have you been in to the liver treats again Alice?" her boundless energy can be quite irritating at times. But I did have a soft spot for her, she was like the sister I never had. She smirked back at me.

"Don't give me that face Edward, you look like a cat's bum" she huffed and folded her arms in front of her.

"Alice!"

"So she was pretty, don't you think?" Oh no, not her too. "I wish I could grow my hair that long. She looked great in that outfit too…"

"I was too distracted to notice, I was thinking about a patient" I gestured towards the x-ray. She glanced at it quickly and then continued glaring at me. Why is she here? "Don't you have a telephone to answer or something?"

"You were thinking about a hip dislocation and didn't notice the gorgeous brunette right in front of you? What, is it because she only has 2 legs?" She started to tap her foot. Who let her get away with wearing designer shoes in a vet clinic? Ah, Esme of course, who also likes to wear those death traps. One of these days, one of them is going to trip over a fur ball and break their neck.

"Enough Alice," I sighed "we can talk about this later. When's my first appointment?" I hoped that changing the subject would silence her forever on the subject of the brunette, or at least for today. I doubted my luck on that one.

"Ten minutes. And I know what you're trying to do. We will talk later. You, me, lunch, garden." and with that she was bouncing back out to reception.

I was back to staring at the x-ray again. How many times had I looked at it in the last 20 minutes? Only now I wasn't seeing a dislocation, I was seeing warm brown human eyes staring back at me. My arm still tingled from that handshake. I flexed my fingers and tried to shake it off. Good with her hands, hey? Well it would take a lot to impress me, here at work I mean. I knew the girls were going to have so much fun stirring me over this, not to mention the flack I'd get from the vet nurses.

Okay. Three months. That's it. I'd just have to tolerate her and her airy-fairy treatments for three short months until Esme realised the program was a waste of time and resources. Then little Miss Brown Eyes with her soft features and long wavy hair would be flapping her hands around someplace else.

In the meantime, I could see that my life was going to become much more difficult here at work. _Crap_.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to everyone who is reading what has essentially fallen out of my head. This originally wasn't a Bella & Edward story, but it seemed to fit the characters and so, here we are. For this reason there may be the occassional snippet that doesn't fit, I'll endeavour to fix these promptly should any filter through. Goodness knows I've read and re-read it many times but when the other characters fit too, it makes it difficult to spot. My first published error resulted in my accidentally deleting the entire story. Oops.

All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, I'm just having a play.

* * *

Chapter Two

**Hers**

Front door, my apartment. Monday.

I quickly dialled Angela's number as I fumbled with the key to my apartment.

"Hey Ange"

"Hey Bella, how did it go? Were they drooling after your magic hands?"

"Hardly. It's not like they can ask a dog 'So how was your massage, Fido?'. Oh but you should have seen the place, it looks very clinical and all, but the offices are so lovely. There's piped-in chill-out music and it smells really nice. Much better than eau-de-hospital" I laughed. I dumped the huge folder and my handbag on the sofa and wandered into the kitchen to grab a drink.

"So what's next? Did they offer you the job? They'd be stupid not to!"

"You're too nice to me, Angela. But yes, the practice manager offered me the job, though I've got 'War and Peace' to read first. I hope it's the salary details in this folder that is so heavy. We're going to discuss it again tomorrow."

"Is that a touch of apprehension in your voice or does your phone reception suck again?" Ah, she knows me too well.

"That obvious, huh?"

"That's all the excuse I need. I'll grab the girly supplies and head over after my shift. Should be there around one. Seeya bye!" and she was gone.

"Okay" I stupidly said to no-one on the phone. A girly afternoon sounded great, I knew I didn't want to be left alone with my brain for the rest of the day. Right, time to change and then kick back, and hopefully enjoy my last few days off.

I went to my bedroom and changed out of my interview clothes. I had plenty of these smart outfits, many of them I had worn to the all-too-frequent funerals I attended whilst at my last job. This new job was certainly going to be a change from that, although the emotional attachment might still be an issue. _To the animals,_ I reminded myself. I threw on my favourite yoga pants and a fitted t-shirt and headed back to the kitchen to see if we had any chocolate. Chocolate is a_ must_-_have_ for any girly afternoon.

I stacked the chocolate on the coffee table and took a few sips of juice before settling back into the sofa. The girly movie possibilities were limited this afternoon I noticed after flicking through countless channels on the TV. Hopefully Angela will bring some DVDs.

_Well, I may as well start on this,_ I sighed and flipped open the heavy folder. Inside were labelled sections including information about the program, the job description, the clinic itself and salary details. Yep, that's what I wanted to see first. It may not even be a rent-worthy salary. I jumped straight into the last section and was amazed to see all the pages. Surely you just need one page and one _hopefully large_ number printed on it? Eventually I found what I was looking for, and nearly spat a whole mouthful of juice over the page with the deliciously large number. Holy pantyhose! Yep, I can definitely afford the rent!

When I looked at the time I realised that Angela would still be a few hours, so I settled back against the sofa and decided to read the contents of the folder, starting at the beginning.

"Knock, knock!" Angela's voice coming down the hall slapped me sideways. Great. I'd fallen asleep on the sofa again. I quickly checked for a drool patch and reassembled myself just as she walked in to my loungeroom. "Were you asleep again?" she smirked.

"Is there anything you don't know, Angela?"

"Nope!" and she flashed her pearly whites. "I brought supplies. I see you've got the chocolate situation under control, I've got DVD's, pedicure kit, microwave popcorn and wine for later." That's when she noticed the folder in my lap.

"Holy Moly, Batman! Is that the 'War and Peace' you were talking about? How are you supposed to get through all that before tomorrow?"

"Maybe you could read a section and summarise for me? Otherwise it's going to seriously cut into our girly time and I'm not sacrificing uh… Legally Blonde? Is that all you could find?"

"Come on, you love it! And we're both brunettes so it's alright to laugh. And yes, of course I'll help. Give it here." I handed her the section on the clinic as I figured it was just PR waffle about what I'd already seen this morning. "One section each and then girl time okay." It wasn't a question.

"You're so persuasive. Who could say no to you?" I gushed. I was really lucky to have Angela for a best friend. She seemed to know me better than myself. Sometimes I thought that wasn't always the best thing, but when I needed her she always managed to set me back in the right direction.

When I'd finally finished the section about the complementary therapies program, I looked up to see Angela staring back at me with a rather goofy expression. _Uh oh_…

"What?"

"You know what." she said accusingly, "Come on, it's time to spill" she pointed at the printed matter in her lap. "You didn't mention _him_ when I spoke to you earlier. Is that why you sounded apprehensive on the phone? This _so _seals the deal. Call them back now and tell them you'll crawl over doggy doo to take this job!"

"Geez Angela, nicely put. _He_ is the vet and quite frankly, he was rude and disinterested. And he certainly won't be the reason I take this job. Here, check out the salary" I pointed to the glorious number.

"Oh yeah, this just gets better and better. So when do you start?"

"Um, I think I'll make myself available from Friday onwards. That gives me a few days to brush up on some animal anatomy" Angela's eyebrows shot up so high on her forehead I swear they disappeared into her hairline.

"I think your time would be better spent brushing up on some male anatomy"

"Angela!"

"How long has it been Bella?"

"Since I've seen the male anatomy? Are you forgetting what I do for a living?"

"Geriatric man bits don't count, and that was always by accident. I'm talking about _this_ variety" she pointed to the brochure. When I looked at the photograph of Edward smiling I must have pulled a face, and Angela latched onto it straight away. "Right, something happened today, didn't it? I want details, leave nothing out. I'm withholding all wine, chocolate and popcorn until I hear it all!"

So I filled her in; the handshake, the eyes, it didn't take long. She just sat there looking thoughtful.

"Is that it?" I nodded. "Hmmm, some delicacy might be required in this situation" she said while tapping her fingers on her chin.

"What situation? There is no situation!"

"There was a spark, Bella" _Oh, is that what you call it_. "You need to work with this man and he needs your hands to work on him. And yadda, yadda, yadda, we all live happily ever after"

"Ah, so simple" I said mockingly, "Look, it was just a 'spark' and I was temporarily blinded by those eyes. There is no _situation_, Angela. This is about my hands and helping the animals"

"And the gorgeous man, and the fabulous salary…"

"Oh, look at the time! We should get the movie started. I'll get the bottle opener and glasses, you make the popcorn" and with that we were back to our girly afternoon. She knew me well enough to leave it alone now. No more talk about sparks and beautiful eyes…

I managed to get about 20 minutes into the movie before my thoughts wandered back to this morning and those green eyes. _I'm a professional_, I reminded myself. Suddenly I felt the warmth and tingling in my hand again, slowly making its way up my arm.

Must be the wine…


	3. Chapter 3

A short chapter for you today, sorry. The chapter length will be determined by what needs to be told, so some will be short and some will be long. The speed at which I can churn these out will also be determined by when my characters pay me a visit and spill their guts. A reminder that this originally wasn't a Bella & Edward story, but it seemed to fit the characters and so, here we are again. Hopefully all consistency errors have been dealt with, but please let me know should one or a hundred slip through.

Once again, all characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, I'm just having a play.

* * *

Chapter Three

**His**

Bench, garden. Monday

The rest of the morning had plodded on like any other morning. Lots of beautiful animals, concerned and loving owners and the occasional dodgy one who didn't deserve to have pets. They were my biggest frustration. I had always been a huge animal lover, rescuing pets even as a child. I'd loved and lost many over the years, it was always a devastating time but that had never deterred me from acquiring another and another. I loved that they always gave unconditional love, something I always found missing in my human relationships. Not that I'd had many to start with.

It was lunch time. While I sat and waited for Alice to bombard me with the inevitable inquisition, I tried to focus on anything but this morning's encounter. My hand once again tingled in response. I leaned back into the bench while I waited and tried to soak up some vitamin D.

"So, what's the problem, Edward?" Alice's bubbly voice sang as she took a seat beside me on the bench.

"There isn't one Alice. I don't suppose there's any chance of you and I talking about the weather?" Please, please, please…

"You wanna know what I think?" No. "I think you'd much prefer to hang out with your furry friends than to have any kind of a relationship with a woman. You know what they are, right?"

Sigh.

"Yes, I do Alice. I've had relationships before, remember? How short your memory is these days." I mocked. Since she'd been married, Alice's focus had lay elsewhere although she'd been much happier, if that was even possible. "How is this relevant to this morning?"

"It's completely relevant!" Here we go… "So what actually happened in there? I asked Esme but she didn't say much. She told me you seemed nervous"

"No, I wasn't nervous, I was distracted by my work. You should try it sometime"

"Har har. So, spill it Edward!" Ah Alice, so hungry for information yet so cheerful.

"New candidate shows up for an imaginary job for a silly program I don't approve of. That's it. Everyone needs to pull their heads out of their Mills & Boon and get a dose of real life. It's much more interesting, I tell you." My gruffness didn't go unnoticed.

"Ah, she's struck a nerve with you, hasn't she? I knew it! Edward, she's hot and I _know_ you noticed that. If you didn't give a toss, you wouldn't give a toss and you're cranky as."

"Alice, the whole thing is just an inconvenience. Really" I took a bite out of my sandwich hoping she'd leave it for now. I just wanted to get on with my day and not be haunted with thoughts of those warm brown eyes. Brunette was already starting to get under my skin, the tingling up my arm was a very real reminder of that. "How's married life treating you, Alice?" Subject change, nice one.

"Great!" she was beaming "Jasper's doing really well with the new business, so he's always spoiling me. I make it worth his while though" Um, eww. I guess I asked for that one.

The truth was having the brunette working with me was going to be a pain. It hindered my ability to do my job and remain focused. Consultations would surely be longer and I doubted her treatments would even be beneficial for our patients. There was already enough staff in the ward as it was, without having another person in the way. And knowing the nursing staff, she wasn't going to be welcomed with open arms. This was just another headache in high heels. Another realisation just hit me, she's going to get along really well with Alice. Sigh.

By the time we'd finished our lunch, the conversation had come full circle and I was being lectured once again about the 'gorgeous brunette'.

"Well, regardless what happens Edward, remember to be nice to her. She's going to be our work colleague and it would be great if we all got along."

"I don't know how to be anything but professional, Alice"

That night I was hoping for a good night's sleep, I had been pushing it a little over the last few weeks with long days at the clinic. Early to bed with some trash TV and it wasn't long before I was sleeping like a baby. But then the dreams started. And there she was again. Those warm brown eyes, her long wavy hair and a killer body. Did I notice that before? Or was this my imagination throwing in some extras?

It all started so innocently, she had come into my office to interview for the massage therapist position. So of course I asked her to give me a massage, it was standard procedure after all. When she returned after leaving to give me privacy, I dreamt that she was only wearing her underwear; blood red, lacy and matching. Since I was face down on the table I had no idea of course. All I had on was a towel draped sideways over my butt. I could smell the oil, it had cinnamon, patchouli and ylang ylang in it. Wait… I don't even know what patchouli and ylang ylang are… this was a very weird dream.

I knew the instant her hands were on me, for the electricity began flowing through my body. No, not flowing, it was arcing. My body felt like it was on fire, but it was good. No, it was _really_ good. I could feel something else, was that her hair falling on my back? And what was _that_? Uh, I think those were her breasts, in that lovely lacy bra. Her arms were extending over my shoulders and down my own arms. This was quickly becoming a body on body massage… The oil on my skin, the aroma of it, the sensation of her hands, her long hair _and her breasts_ on my body, it was overpowering. Sensory overload! It was too good, it was….

_Uh oh_. I looked across at the clock beside my bed. It was only just after midnight. Argh! Too early to go for a run, so a cold shower it is.


	4. Chapter 4

Once again, a reminder that this originally wasn't a Bella & Edward story, but it seemed to fit the characters and so, here it is. Sorry for the delay getting this out, we fell victim to the floods that have affected so many in Australia. We were so fortunate, we were only cut off for 5 days and sustained no water damage. Unfortunately many have lost their homes and sadly loved ones also. They make us tough here in Australia, we come back just as strong and annoying as before ;)

All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, I'm just having a play.

* * *

Chapter Four

**Hers**

Kitchen table, my apartment. Tuesday.

I was really going to have to get off my butt if I wanted to be ready to start my new job on Friday. There was already a long list I'd made last night after a few too many wines. I'm sure there'll be a few completely random tasks I can cross off right from the start.

What I needed was some work gear. I already had the comfy flat shoes, thankfully they weren't the granny variety. They were quite funky actually, not what I'd normally go for but when I bought them I felt it was time to _adjust_the wardrobe a touch. Plenty of pairs of pants were needed though as we're talking daily furball removal and disinfecting required. As for tops, I didn't think my spa attire would cut it. And at my last job, I just wore scrubs over my regular shirts. Those would need to be burned now, the smell just didn't come out in the wash no matter what I used. Okay then, lots of pants and tunics.

Crap. What I really needed was a girly shopping buddy. Angela was great but we had very different tastes and unfortunately she was too busy this week with all her extra shifts to help.

Before I had the chance to revise my list further, my phone started to ring and boogie across the table. Right away I recognised the vet clinic number.

"Hello, this is Bella" I used my best professional voice.

"Bella, good morning. This is Esme. How are you today?" The practice manager immediately had me at ease with her warm manner.

"Esme, I'm fine thank you. How are you?" I briskly walked over to where I'd left 'War and Peace' and my list of questions.

"I'm just fine dear, thanks. I'm just checking to see how you went with the job description and salary details, I have no doubt you'll have some questions for me?"

Thankfully I didn't have too many. I merely needed to confirm that the salary didn't have an extra zero on the end by accident and double check a few other requirements of the job. Esme was also more than happy for me to start on Friday, in fact she was beside herself and admitted she thought it would take me a couple of weeks before I was ready to start.

With everything now sorted at that end, all I needed to do now was some shopping and study up on some anatomy. Unfortunately the wrong kind of anatomy flashed into my head. _Or maybe I wished the RIGHT anatomy would flash me._ Oh dear. I slapped my palm to my forehead a few times. Time to hit the shower.

I wasn't a fan of cold showers, in fact I liked them as hot as I could handle. Very soothing and somewhat emotionally cleansing, I always felt like a new person afterwards. When I was stressed or upset it was usually the first thing I'd do to calm down. Neither of those applied here so I just went through the motions and went on with my day. I'd dressed in a stretchy top that was fairly fitted and my favourite jeans, something easy to change in and out of. Always practical!

First stop – library. I needed anatomy text and I didn't know what they had. Hopefully I wasn't going to need a separate text for each species. Urgh, I hadn't thought of that. I was pretty sure I'd seen anatomy texts in Esme's office, which was handy, but I really wanted to march in there on my first day and knock everyone over with my brilliant knowledge. Pffft… I nearly laughed out loud but remembered where I was and kept it quiet.

Five large textbooks later and I was on my way to the local shopping district. There were a few places I had in mind that would probably have what I wanted clothing wise. The first turned out to be quite disappointing, perhaps a little older than my taste. Lots of granny-elastic. Ew.

The second store I found a little more than I bargained for. Literally.

"Bella?" a vaguely familiar voice sang from behind me. I turned and immediately recognised the receptionist from my new workplace.

"Oh, um, hello" I tried to contain my surprise as I smiled at Mrs Reception. She looked so… so… _bouncy_. That can't be normal.

"I'm Alice," she said, offering her hand "I hear we'll be working together. Isn't that awesome?" I think I could actually see all of her teeth. Wow, she has a great dentist.

"Uh yeah, that's right. I'm really looking forward to it"

"So, shopping for a working wardrobe?" she asked gesturing around the racks of rather drab-looking clothing.

"Yeah, I'm not really sure what to go for. I mean, I know what I need, it's just that I'm not really good at this kind of shopping by myself"

_Dinggggggg!_ A virtual bell rang out through the store as her eyes lit up.

"Oh Bella, have we bumped into each other at the right time! Shopping is my specialty" she grinned and hooked her arm into mine. "So, what look are you after? Ultra stylish? Cute? Sexy?"

_What?_

"Uh, no. I was thinking professional but not middle-aged. Or geriatric for that matter". I really had no idea what I was getting myself into_. _What was I thinking letting a virtual stranger help me with my wardrobe?_ Was I even letting her? _And what was she insinuating with the 'sexy' question? Who goes to work in a vet clinic looking sexy? _Hmmm... a vet perhaps?_ Focus Bella, too many internal questions…

"Earth to Bella?" she was yanking on my arm "Um, where were you just now?"

"Uh, I was just thinking about what I already had in my wardrobe and if I could co-ordinate anything" _Where did that come from?_ _Not like me at all! _It must have been the right answer as Alice beamed back at me.

"Right! Professional but feminine, non-geriatric, no granny-elastic and definitely semi-sexy. How does that grab you?" _Amazing…_

"Perfect" _I hope…_

Two large shopping bags later, we were seated at a local café waiting on our hot chocolates. I think I'd already consumed my own weight in chocolate in the last few days so what's another serving of it? _It doesn't count if it's in liquid form_, I tried to convince myself. Puh… lease!

Even though Alice had hardly taken a breath in the last hour, I was really starting to like her. Her bubbly personality was very infectious, I had to admit. She was keen to try massage at my hand in exchange for one of her 'famous' pedicures. Angela and I were already well practised at pedicures but I was up for some bartering of services. She also told me about her new husband and how they were just made for each other, and how she had an eye for picking people's soul-mates. Interesting.

Once we'd finished our beverages and parted company (Alice practically skipped away), I made my way back to the car to load the rest of the day's acquisitions. Angela was headed over after work for 'show and tell' of my new wardrobe additions but the rest of the afternoon was my own. Plenty of time to hit the books and acquaint myself with some animal anatomy.

I wasn't far into the second textbook before my mind started to wander back to Alice's earlier comment about soul-mates. When my arm began to warm and tingle again with that thought, the rational part of my brain jumped into action and figured out that it had all been the result of too much sugar in my system. Yep. That was definitely it.

I needed to cut back on the chocolate…


End file.
